Piaseu N, Belza B, Mitchell P
School of Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-7266, USA.
Arthritis Rheum. 2001 Jun;45(3):246-51. doi: 10.1002/1529-0131(200106)45:3<246::AID-ART256>3.0.CO;2-Y.
Osteoporosis, a health problem that is on the rise, has received considerable attention among the health care community and the public. The majority of primary prevention programs for osteoporosis have been focused on women in mid-life. A concern is that young women may not be aware of osteoporosis risk factors and therefore may not be engaging in preventive behaviors. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of an osteoporosis educational program for young women.
A sample of 100 female undergraduate students who were enrolled in the first year of a nursing program in Thailand were randomly assigned to a control group or an experimental group. Participants in the experimental group participated in a 3-hour osteoporosis educational program (OEP). At entry to and exit from the study, all participants completed the Osteoporosis Knowledge Test, the Osteoporosis Health Belief Scale, and the Osteoporosis Self-Efficacy Scale.
The experimental group had higher change scores for knowledge, health belief, and self-efficacy than the control group. The OEP increased knowledge of osteoporosis in these young women.
These findings indicate the need for further health education concerning the importance of dietary calcium and exercise on osteoporosis prevention in young women.
骨质疏松症作为一个日益严重的健康问题，已受到医疗保健界和公众的广泛关注。大多数骨质疏松症的一级预防项目都集中在中年女性身上。令人担忧的是，年轻女性可能没有意识到骨质疏松症的风险因素，因此可能没有采取预防措施。本研究的目的是测试一项针对年轻女性的骨质疏松症教育项目的效果。
从泰国一所护理专业一年级的100名本科女生中抽取样本，随机分为对照组和实验组。实验组的参与者参加了一个为期3小时的骨质疏松症教育项目（OEP）。在研究开始和结束时，所有参与者都完成了骨质疏松症知识测试、骨质疏松症健康信念量表和骨质疏松症自我效能量表。
实验组在知识、健康信念和自我效能方面的变化得分高于对照组。OEP增加了这些年轻女性对骨质疏松症的了解。
这些发现表明，需要进一步开展健康教育，让年轻女性了解膳食钙和运动对预防骨质疏松症的重要性。
